The Lone Parcel
by Angelika's Planetarium
Summary: SPIRITSHIPPING!   The evil Viper and Adrian Gecko have arrived at Duel Academy to ruin Jesse and Jaden's relationship. Contains a strange storyline, randomness and Yaoi. Mainly Jaden x Jesse, Aster x Chazz on the side.
1. The Fried Shrimp Allies

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. If I did, I would have turned Adrian Gecko into a snake.**

* * *

><p><span>Day 1<span>

"Come on Jaden! The transfer students should be here any moment!" Syrus yelled. "We really need to head off to the dock!"

"But how about the fried shrimp?" Jaden whined impatiently as he eyeballed the tempura placed temptingly in front of them.

"They can wait!" Syrus sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. Unless...

"Jay, the new transfer students are the champions from North, East, South and West Academy!" Syrus arched his eyebrows and snuck a glance at Jaden. He seemed interested. That was a good sign. "They're probably the best duelists out there!"

Silence.

GRAB! Jaden snatched up a bunch of shrimp.

CLUNK! The bowl was carelessly discarded on the table.

SMASH! Jaden pushed his chair backwards and it toppled to the floor.

TUG! "What's the ruckus for?" Syrus wailed, being half dragged, half yanked out of the door by Jaden, who was holding a handful of shrimp in his hand.

Jaden had a crazed look in his eye. Syrus exhaled. "In the name of Gyroid! NOW you rush?"

"Well Sy, if you're right, those four duelists better get ready to get their game on!"

* * *

><p>Jaden and Syrus quickly joined their friends at the dock.<p>

Chazz stared at Syrus. "Bathed in mud much, Truesdale?" the young Princeton asked sarcastically.

"Jaden dragged me over here!" mumbled Syrus, casually flicking mud, leaves and dirt off his Slifer Red uniform.

"Yeah, and considering how strong and mighty you are, I'm sure you went down with a memorable fight," quipped Chazz. "And gimme one of those." He reached out, pulled a shrimp out of Jaden's grasp and dunked it in his mouth. And chewed.

"Tastes alright, but odd at the same time," Chazz mused. "Wonder why."

Jaden smiled at the raven. "Maybe because I haven't washed my hands since yesterday." Chazz's eyes widened.

"NANI? OH SHI-"

Chazz's swearing was drowned out by the blasts emitted from a docking ship.

"It's them!" exclaimed Alexis. The excited blonde quickly cupped a hand over Chazz's mouth to stop him from yelling. The latter seemed appeased.

The door to the boat opened. A first figure walked out and trudged down the gangplank leading to the shore. He was well built, with red spiky hair and geeky glasses. His face had a certain seriousness with it that made him emit a, well, serious aura. He surveyed the crowd that had formed on the dock. "The name's Adrian. I'm from East Academy."

"Nice to meet ya, red guy!" Jaden hollered, "Ya ready to get your game on? It's about time to throw dow-" Alexis used her other free hand to muffle him, clamping her hand over his mouth. A jealous Chazz shot daggers at Jaden.

Another male came out, followed by another. One was tall, with a hat perched lopsidedly on his head and a bandanna covering his right eye. A moss green crocodile rested tranquilly on his back. The other male was also well built like Adrian, with black dreadlocks tumbling down his tanned skin.

The croc guy spoke up first. "The name's Jim," he said, with a heavy Australian accent, "and this is Shirley. We're from South Academy." He had a mischievous glint in his eye, but his reassuring smile gave off a caring vibe.

The other male added, "And I'm Axel. Axel Brodie. From West Academy. It's a pleasu-"

"That's a SWEET duel disk!" Jaden exclaimed, as he wriggled free from Alexis's hand and stared enviously at Axel's camouflage-printed duel disk.

"Thanks," Axel replied, with a swell of pride, and glanced towards Jim and Adrian. "They have special duel disks, too. Only Jesse doesn't. Speaking of Jesse, why hasn't he came out yet?"

Adrian, Jim and Axel stared at the entrance to the ship.

"Jesse?" Jim called.

"Oh, the ships already at Duel Academy? I can't believe I fell asleep for so long! I plumb forgot to even get off the boat!" a bubbly voice exclaimed.

Axel sighed. "Everyone's waiting."

"Oh crumbs! Well, I'm comin' alright?" there was some feet shuffling. And he walked out.

A bluenette with captivating emerald eyes tumbled out of the boat. He rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "Why hey y'all. I'm Jesse Anderson, a transfer student from North Academy. Can't wait to spend my whole week at Duel Academy..." the bluenette rumbled on nervously, "it's much warmer here... And!" his turquoise eyes shot up, glittering. "DO I SMELL FRIED SHRIMP?"

Groans from Chazz, Alexis, Syrus and Hassleberry. "I think we have a carbon copy of a certain Slifer slacker," Chazz deadpanned.

Jaden excitedly waved the remaining shrimp in the air. "Right here!"

A gentle smile edged its way up Jesse's face. "Well, I'll be." He scrambled over to the group and graciously took the shrimp from Jaden.

"Don't do it!" a certain raven cried, snatching it out of Jesse's hands, and hurled the shrimp into the harbor, only to be stared at by a pair of emerald eyes and a pair of brown eyes.

"What's wrong?" the duo asked innocently.

Chazz facepalmed.

* * *

><p>After the fateful encounter over tempura shrimp from yesterday, Jesse and Jaden were inseparable. As an Obelisk Blue duelist, Jesse was allowed to stay at the Blue dorm, as with Jim, Axel and Adrian, but when he saw the run-down, tattered Slifer Red dorm... Well, it was love at first sight. And Jesse gladly took up the offer to bunk with Jaden.<p>

After a while, Chazz, Syrus, Hassleberry and the double Js met Alexis, Jim and Axel at the dock.

Alexis gave them a small smile. "Wanna show the transfers around Duel Academy?"

"Sure, but Adrian's not here," remarked Chazz, scanning the nearby grounds.

"Let's just go. He's probably busy socializing," scoffed Jaden. He casually flung his arms over Jesse while the latter blushed. "Let's take a walk in the woods here."

Yes. As peculiar as that was, Duel Academy was conveniently located in the middle of nowhere, slightly off the coast of Japan. And it just happened that it was surrounded by woodland.

Jesse smiled. "That sounds awesome!" And with that, the two sprang off into the woods at an extreme speed, while the others trailed behind.

Adrian Gecko peeked out from the tree he was hiding in. "So that's where they're going," he muttered as he saw Jaden and his gang walk away. He swiftly clambered down the tree.

"I have to report to Master Viper."

* * *

><p>Jaden and Jesse were cheerfully marching ahead of the group until they skidded to a stop at a fork in the road. The path up in front diverged into two.<p>

"Let's take the left," Jesse suggested, peering closely at the paths. "It seems to lead downwards and head to the beach." His eyes glittered. "I love beaches."

"No prob," the brunette replied, and turned back and yelled, "Chazzyspazzy! Lexi! Jess and I are heading to the beach!"

"Sure!" Alexis yelled back.

"Why am I called Chazzyspazzy?" the raven immediately screeched in response, his voice echoing. A smile crept up Jesse's face as he couldn't help but laugh.

Jaden puffed his chest out. "As an intelligent Duel Academy regular, I'm pretty sure that the road to the right leads to the beach."

Confused, Jesse scratched his mass of teal colored hair. "But that leads uphill."

Jaden grasped Jesse's arm and tugged him rightwards. "Trust me." The brunette's stomach secretly lurched as Jessse clasped his hand. Together, hand in hand, the duo walked off to the right.

Later on, the rest of the gang arrived at the fork. "I just hope Jay's smart enough to lead Jesse to the correct direction," Syrus sighed as the group went left.

Chazz brushed his mop of pitch black hair from his face. "Yeah," he agreed. "The Slifer slacker probably noticed that the left path heads towards the beach anyway. I hope he's not dumb enough to go uphill."

After a great deal of walking...

"Jay," the bluenette finally said. "I don't think this is the right path. We're still going uphill."

"You're probably right," Jaden admitted as his stomach rumbled. "Let's head back, I want lunch."

"Didn't Alexis pack lunch? Shouldn't we go down to the beach to join them?" Jesse inquired.

"Let's have lunch together. Just the two of us," Jaden smiled. "Then we'll throw down. And I'd get the privilege of being the first person to duel the champion of North Academy!"

Jesse knew they should head back to the group. But deep inside, there was a growing desire to be with the brunette. Alone. "Alright," he agreed. And they headed back.

* * *

><p>"Jesse's met Jaden?" a sinister-looking man with slicked, oily hair and slanted eyes asked.<p>

"Yes, Master Viper," Adrian said. "I know the approximate location of the two morons."

Viper shot an icy glare at the redhead. "You shall not call them morons. They are two extremely useful... Creatures. Of utmost importance."

Adrian perked up. "Is that so? Why are they important?"

"It's all part of the big plan," Viper replied, while meshing the soles of his studded boots together menacingly. "The prophecy has already begun."

"Prophecy?"

"Make sure you separate Jesse from Jaden." Viper quipped.

"Separate?" Adrian echoed.

"They've only met for a day and Jaden's already doing all he could to make Jesse happy when they're together." Viper's eyes narrowed into tinier slits. (if that was even possible!) "Even though they've just met each other... Their bond is unmistakable. A week now appears to be sufficient to fully colorize the Grace Gem."

"Grace Gem?" Since he repeated Viper every single time, Adrian was starting to sound like a recording machine.

Viper looked slightly irritated. "Yes, the Grace Gem. See, it has already acquired the color red." He steered off topic. "Also, Jesse is... Not human."

"He's not hu-"

Viper swiftly cut Adrian off. "As the author's favorite character, he was initially created by the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX fanfic author to specially support and aid Jaden throughout this story. Let me finish," he snapped as he saw the redhead open his mouth to speak. "The author is a special type of being, and she does not live in this world. She is... Almighty and omnipotent, and tries to control everything happening to us."

Viper glanced at the gleaming crimson gem on the wall. "That, is the Grace Gem. It symbolizes the relationship between Jesse Anderson and Jaden Yuki. Every time they get closer, another color emerges on the gem, until the complete rainbow spectrum appears. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Purple. Once that is fulfilled, then Jesse has the power to control the whole Yu-Gi-Oh! GX fanfic!" Adrian gasped quietly. Viper continued. "And you know what that means, since Jesse disregards our existence..."

Adrian's eyes widened behind his spectacles. "Then we'll disappear from the fanfic altogether," he whispered in fear.

"Exactly," Viper said, eyes glinting and nose flaring with rage. "But there's one drawback." He leaned in closer. "They only have one week to finish the spectrum on the gem. Their relationship at the end of the week determines their fate. If the gem isn't completed within this week before Jesse leaves Duel Academy..." Viper smirked. "Then the author said we'd be given the opportunity to be the main antagonists and take over the whole fanfic!"

Adrian giggled evilly. "Then we can become the most famous Yaoi pair ever. I think I'll call it..." He paused for dramatic effect. "Snakyshipping!"

"Don't be excited yet," Viper warned. "The prophecy mentioned one more thing - that the Grace Gem will immediately become a spectrum once Jaden manages to claim The Lone Parcel." An annoyed growl escapes his throat. "Even I do not know what, or where, the Parcel is." He dismissed the thought. "It doesn't matter. As mentally challenged and as simple minded as Jaden is, I doubt he'd find it anyway."

"But what role do I play in this?" Adrian asked doubtfully.

Viper faced Adrian and fixated his slimy eyes on him. "You are responsible to pry Jesse away from Jaden. Ruin their relationship. Stop Jesse from filling up the Grace Gem with his happiness. I'm counting on you."

"Simple," scoffed Adrian, as he headed out of their meeting spot, the cave hidden by the greenery right behind Duel Academy. "I have a perfect plan."

"I'll just make Jaden mine."

* * *

><p>(To avoid hypnotizing everyone to sleep, I have conveniently skipped to the end of the duel between Jesse and Jaden.)<p>

**Jaden: 800  
>Jesse: 9200<strong>

"My turn! I draw!" Jesse's eyes blazed a dazzling viridian as he stole a glance at the card he drew. From the look on his face, Jaden guessed Jesse found the perfect card to win the duel.

The bluenette smiled triumphantly at Jaden. "Since I have all seven Crystal Beasts on the field or in the graveyard... I summon Rainbow Dragon!"

A blinding beam of heavenly light shot out from the skies as Rainbow Dragon descended, elegantly positioning itself between Ruby Carbuncle and Topaz Tiger. Its eyes glistened power and a call came out from its throat as a mighty roar.

Jaden was speechless. "That's amazing..." he breathed.

"...and I end my turn," Jesse said.

"No attacking? But why? You were going to win!" Jaden protested.

Jesse flashed Jaden a sweet smile. "I want to win in a more epic way."

"Anyway... I draw!" the brunette looked at his card.

"I activate Polymerization! By fusing Avian and Burstinatrix in my hand, I summon Elemental Hero Flame Wingman in attack mode!" The Flame Wingman swooped out from the sky and gracefully landed in attack position.

"Next, I switch all monsters on my field in attack position! That includes Clayman!"

"CLAYMAN?" the bluenette spluttered. "He only has 800 attack points while Rainbow Dragon has 4000!"

"Turn end," Jaden said, grinning.

"I draw," Jesse said, still confused. "I activate Rainbow Dragon's effect! By sending Amethyst Cat, Ruby Carbuncle, Topaz Tiger and Amber Mammoth to the graveyard, I can increase its attack points to 8000!"

"It's over 8000!" Jaden screeched.

"That's right," Jesse said, "And for my battle phrase!"

"I activate Self-Destruct Button!" Jaden interrupted, with a cheesy smile on his face. "Both of our life points turn to 0!"

Jesse looked perplexed. "Wasn't that the first card you set? Why is it even in your deck?"

"I just wanted to see how good your deck was," Jaden answered. "And it's great. If we ever teamed up in a tag duel, we'd be unstoppable by any force in the universe!" he linked arms with Jesse. "For sure."

The duo didn't notice Adrian lurking nearby. "Unstoppable by anything but me."

Back in the cave, Viper threw his half-eaten apple against the gemstone in rage, as he saw an orange mist spread over the vermillion gem. "Red AND orange," he growled. "And six days left. Adrian better get moving." Frustrated, he kicked his camping apparatus with such force that all the tins and pots toppled over. (He had so much life he decided to camp in the cave for the rest of Jesse's stay)

* * *

><p>"Good game," Jaden said, beaming at Jesse as he walked over to him.<p>

Jesse clamped Jaden's arm with his hand and spun the brunette around to face him. "But next time, you go at me with everything you've got."

"Absolutely."

"And no Self-Destruct button," the bluenette added casually.

"You have my word." Jaden's hazel eyes bore into Jesse's and the bluenette found himself completely mesmerized. The two held their gaze for quite a while, both relishing that magical moment.

Until a voice interrupted them.

"Hey Anderson," a boy in a formal suit with silky silver hair said. The duo tore away from their gaze and stared at him. With inscrutable ocean blue eyes that gave nothing away and an impeccable face, the boy looked like he just stepped out of a PlayDuelist's magazine. "Pretty amazing cards you have there."

Jesse blushed. "Pegasus entrusted me with this deck," he admitted.

Jaden narrowed his eyes and studied the boy hostilely. "And who are you?"

"The name's Aster Phoenix," Aster quickly dismissed the question. He turned back to Jesse. "You seem interesting." He flashed Jesse an enticing smile that had the potential to make fangirls all over the world scream.

"Your name sounds familiar." was Jesse's thoughtful reply.

"You'll be here for another six days, right?" The bluenette nodded. "Let's hang out together. I'd like to know you more."

"Sorry, but he's reserved," Jaden snapped.

Jesse's long dark eyelashes fluttered nervously. "R-r-reserved?"

Aster looked at Jaden suspiciously. "Doesn't seem like it."

"Well he is. Come on Jess," the brunette growled as he dragged Jesse into Duel Academy, as far from Aster as he could get. "Let's grab some grub."

"M'kay," Jesse replied, as he followed Jaden indoors while brushing a strand of blue hair from his face. "See ya later, Aster."

Aster watched the duo march away. "Jesse... He's quite cute," he whispered to himself, as he felt a slight pang of jealous surge through him.

* * *

><p>At night, Jaden and Jesse were sitting at the harbor when they saw Jim, Axel, Chazz, Syrus, Alexis and Hassleberry return.<p>

Syrus looked disappointed. "Where did the two of you go? Hassleberry and I waited for your arrival but you two never showed up!"

"We even saved up some shrimp for you!" Hassleberry whined.

"It doesn't matter," Chazz commented helpfully. "More Lexi time for me, and I had some pretty decent eye-candy."

Alexis gave a dry cough.

"I mean, I had a pretty decent time," the raven quickly corrected himself.

Jim sat down next to Jaden. "So what were the two of you doing?"

"Enjoying the natural scenery," Jaden lied unconvincingly.

Axel noticed the false note in his voice. "Is that so?" he drawled.

"No, that's a lie. They dueled, ate like there was no tomorrow, and stared into the sunset for the whole afternoon," a familiar voice interrupted.

The group whirled backwards to face Aster Phoenix.

"You again," Jaden remarked somewhat bitterly.

"Missed me?" the silver-haired boy asked, sliding down to sit next to Jesse.

"It's... Aster... Phoenix..." Syrus stuttered.

"You know him?" Jaden asked in surprise.

"He sure does," said Aster smugly. "I'm the only person to ever defeat his brother Zane Truesdale in a duel."

And that initiated a heated debate on how important dueling, winning duels and duel monsters were.

After a while, Jaden noticed that Jesse was drifting off to sleep. Jim and Axel didn't look too energetic either. "Must be the timezone difference," he murmured. "Psst, Jess." the bluenette jolted awake. "Let's head back to the Slifer dorm."

"Oh? Why?"

"I know you're tired," Jaden simply replied, and turned to the others. "Jess and I are heading back. He's about to fall asleep and drop into the water in front of him." He faced Jim and Axel. "You two should get going too."

"May I have the privilege to escort you back to your dorm?" Aster asked Jesse smoothly. "You looks absolutely wiped out... I can carry you back, too." And with that, he scooped up the drained Jesse with ease, carrying him bridal style.

Peculiarly, Jaden felt his cheeks redden and a tiny spark of anger flaming up inside him. "Jesse can walk perfectly fine, thank you." Jaden yanked the bluenette backwards, causing Jesse to tumble awkwardly to the ground. "Sorry, Jess," he added, noting the bluenette's pained expression.

"S'kay." Jesse scrambled to his feet. "Let's go, Jaden!" After being thumped awake, his Southern accent was evident again. "Y'all take care of yourselves and we'll see ya in the morning." The duo headed off.

On the side, Alexis crossed her arms and examined Jaden and Jesse suspiciously. She knew something was up - she just wasn't sure if her suspicions were correct. But she was going to find out.


	2. Pretty Please with an Ojama on Top?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. If I did, Atticus would be one of the protagonists. And not just a poor minor character.**

* * *

><p><span>Day 2<span>

"Rise and shine, Jay," a blue blob said, shaking said brunette awake.

"Wha?" Jaden rubbed his eyes lazily as his eyes tried to focus. Teal colored hair? Right. Jesse. Jaden vaguely recalled the memory of the duo heading back to the Slifer dorm. He closed one eye and mumbled, "But why? Jess, it's spring break. There's no reason why we should get up this early..." He turned away and closed his other eye.

"I came during spring break so I could enjoy the campus while avoiding your meaningless classes with Crowler and Banner." Jesse heaved a quiet sigh. He looked around the room, and fortunately, Syrus and Hassleberry were coming to his rescue.

"Come on, Sarge! It's time to wake up-saurus!" Hassleberry declared, shaking Jaden vigorously like there was no tomorrow as the bluenette gaped.

"That's right!" Syrus added (not-so) menacingly.

"Mmph!" was their only reply.

Hassleberry sighed. "Drastic measure time." He held up the bucket of water he and Syrus dragged in not too long ago.

"You always get to do it! I'll pour it on him this time," Syrus protested as he yanked the pail from Hassleberry...

...only to lose balance and accidentally tipping the whole bucket onto Jesse.

"Ack!" Jesse's startled cry echoed throughout the Slifer Red dorm.

"Cut it out, new kid!" a certain Princeton yelled from the other room.

Jaden jolted awake. "Jess? What's wrong?" He narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the bluenette carefully. "And why are you drenched?"

"Just a small accident." Jesse had water droplets dripping off his hair, and his face glistened with water.

"Blame Truesdale, Sarge," Hassleberry added, shooting Syrus a victorious glance, causing said shorter brunette to shrivel up against one corner.

"Let me wipe it off for you," Jaden said with concern, as he reached out to wipe Jesse's face with his bed sheet. "Sorry for that great beginning you went through here."

Jesse blushed. "No problem..." he stuttered as Jaden's fingertips brushed his cheek.

"Hey Sarge, you're embarrassing Anderson here," Hassleberry said, concerned. "I'll do it for him." He tugged at Jaden's bed sheet and attempted to wipe Jesse's face.

"No, I'll do it," snapped Jaden.

Jesse recoiled just before Jaden's sheet reached his face and blushed deeper. His turquoise orbs widened. "It's okay, I can take care of myself," he whispered shyly, then quickly flashed Jaden and Hassleberry a reassuring smile. The brunette felt his heart melt.

"Fine," replied Hassleberry.

Jaden looked hesitant. And... Jesse scrutinized his open face. A little disappointed? Jaden turned away. "Right," he muttered, not locking eyes with the confused bluenette.

There was a knock at the door. After receiving no response, the knocks became more frequent and became louder.

"WHAT IS IT?" an irritated screech came out of Chazz's side of the room. "Open it, Slackers!"

"Only if you say please."

"PRETTY PLEASE WITH AN OJAMA ON TOP!"

Sighing, Jaden headed over to the door and flung it open.

"Why hello there, Jaden." Leaning against the doorframe, Adrian gave him a small smile.

"What brings you here?" Jaden asked directly, as Jesse, Hassleberry and Syrus joined him at the door.

"Yeah, you missed the expedition we had with Jess, Axel and Jim yesterday," added Hassleberry.

"I'm sure it was very enjoyable," Adrian replied. "That's why I'm here. I want to tag along with you all during my stay."

"Why not?" Jaden grinned. "The more the merrier."

Jesse glanced at Adrian uncertainly. He seemed nice enough, he supposed. But his gut feeling was urging him to run away, far far away, out of the redhead's reach. Squinting, he examined Adrian closer. Nothing fishy. Shaking his head to clear the thought, he managed a smile.

"I'd like to join too." Aster stepped out behind Adrian, looking impeccable as always.

Adrian immediately perceived Aster joining the group as a wonderful opportunity to separate Jesse and Jaden. "Sure, why not?"

"But that makes six of us!" Jaden retorted hastily. "That practically makes us a cult!"

"And obviously, since I'm always making sure you slackers don't get into trouble, I'm the cult leader." interrupted the drowsy Chazz as he joined the group.

"Now that'd make us seven!" Jaden spluttered, and turned to - yes, you guessed it - Aster. "Besides, it was already hard enough having you and I at the same place without arguing over every single petty thing all the time!"

"The more the merrier," the viridian eyed boy mock-repeated.

Jaden didn't know how to react. "Sure, you can join," he grumbled, shooting another look at Aster, who fluffed and swept his hair behind his shoulders in response.

* * *

><p>"Hey Lexi." Alexis almost fainted from a potential heart attack as she heard the voice coming from behind her. "Why're ya spying on the Slifer dorm?"<p>

"Atticus!" Alexis hissed, venom seeping out from her voice.

The brunette flashed her a killer grin, the one he often used on fangirls. "Hey sissy, you could at least pronounce my name more lovingly."

"Sheesh! Alright." Alexis knew there was no point in arguing with her brother. "Fancy meeting you, Lord Atticus Rhodes, Champion of Surfers, Wearer of Hawaiian Shirts, Strummer of Ukeleles, and Master of Love." A roguish smile edged up Atticus's lips as he felt his sister's icy stare bore into him.

"Welcoming remarks accepted... But that doesn't mean you can avoid my first question. Who are you spying on?" Atticus reiterated.

Before the blonde could answer him, Atticus peeked inside the dorm. He let out a low whistle. "Spying on the new transfer eh? I heard he's called Jesse Anderson?"

"Er, yeah." Alexis admitted after a moment of hesitation.

"You've got the hots for him, sissy?" the brunette inquired with a suggestive wink while he quickly scanned the European boy from head to toe. "Well, he IS kinda adorable. Never fear. As the Master of Love, I'm sure I can hook the two of y-"

"What in the name of Cyber Blader? Don't bother," snapped the blonde. "As cute as he is, I'm not checking him out. Look at Jesse and Jaden." Atticus diverted his eyesight to focus on the duo, who happened to be standing at the door hand-in-hand.

"I think they like each other."

* * *

><p>"It's so odd," Jaden mused in the afternoon as he and Jesse sat below the Duel Academy flag, which happened to be the meeting location.<p>

"Ain't that right," Jesse agreed, and took another swig of water, exhaling as the cool liquid was swallowed. "Chazz, Syrus and Hassleberry all told us that they weren't free this afternoon to hang out..."

"...right after Atticus approached them and secretly told them something." Jaden finished.

"Weird." They said in unison, and immediately slapped each other a high five. "Jinx."

Jesse leaned against the flagpole. "Who IS Atticus, anyway?" he prompted.

"Atticus Rhodes is the elder brother of Alexis Rhodes," Jaden said matter-of-factly. "He is an extreme flirt who has managed to captivate the hearts of many girls." He paused. "And boys." He drew another breath. "He is also a talented surfer, and often strums the ukelele while wearing Hawaiian shirts. As the self-proclaimed Master of Love-"

"MASTER OF LOVE?" Jesse choked on his water.

Jaden nodded. "Oh, yes. He's the ultimate matchmaker." the brunette leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "Rumor has it that he can detect relationships within a one meter radius."

"That's really close," Jesse drawled drily.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Adrian ran over to the duo.

"No problem, you're not the latest to arrive," Jaden said with an accusing tone. "Mr. High and Mighty Aster Phoenix still hasn't arrived yet."

On second thought, wouldn't it be better if there were less witnesses? Adrian's mind whirred. "He said he was occupied," the redhead lied plainly.

Jaden perked up. "Is that so? How wonderf- I mean..." he cleared his throat. "How unfortunate."

Briskly, Adrian nodded. "We can head off."

"Where to?" Jesse asked, smiling at the brunette.

"Since we didn't manage to go to the beach yesterday, let's head over today!" Jaden declared. And with that, they set off.

Atticus peered behind his binoculars and saw the trio head off. Shoving it back into his pocket, he headed after them.

* * *

><p>"It's beautiful..." Jesse's voice almost sounded like he was in a trance. The beach was so clean that the sand seemed to sparkle under the rays of the warm sun. He headed down to the beach and sifted his hand through the soft sand. "Eh?" After all the sand had trickled away between the gaps of his fingers, he saw a small shell resting in the palm of his hand.<p>

Jaden followed suit, digging up another shell. "Hey Jess, you could bring these back to North Academy. As souvenirs," he suggested.

Jesse's emerald eyes sparkled like the sand. "I'll do it!" Plopping himself on the sand, he continued sifting.

Jaden didn't respond, and the two lapsed into silence. But as Jesse continued to search for shells, he still felt Jaden's presense emanating from behind him. "I'll be on the other side," Jaden finally said, and walked off.

The warm wind gently blew in his face as the brunette gazed at Jesse, who was still sitting tranquilly. Sitting apart was a good idea, he finally decided, since it gave him the opportunity to stalk - uh, watch over - his Jesse without him noticing.

Wait, did he say his Jesse? Jaden shook his head. No, they were friends. Really good friends, if you would put it at that. A small sigh of pleasure escaped Jaden's lips as he continued to watch the bluenette. Yeah. Best friends.

While Jaden was busy watching Jesse, Adrian had already sat himself down by the brunette. "Jaden."

"Mm?"

"I've got something I need to tell you," Adrian finally managed after some hesitation.

"What?"

"Well, I don't know how to put it bluntly but..." the redhead paused. "I like you."

There was a long moment of silence. Adrian snuck a look at Jaden, who, to his frustration, was still staring at Jesse, oblivious.

"Not like, but LIKE like," the redhead added. "I love you."

Jaden decided against saying anything, and awkward silence fell among the two. The waves crashing against the shore and the clunks from Jesss's shells were the only sounds that could be heard.

"I'm done!" Jesse's excited voice rang out from the other side of the beach. "I'm coming over!"

Now's the time, Adrian thought. He took a deep breath, and proclaimed at the top of his voice...

"All I wanna do, is end up right next to you. Jaden... I love you very much... You were frustrated today and that made me sad too... I can actually feel your mood..." Ignoring Jaden's bewildered face, Adrian glanced towards Jesse and saw him walking over, his face full of hurt. He heard me, Adrian secretly cheered inside his mind.

"And when you go back to East Academy with me..." Jesse's crystalline eyes widened as he overheard them. "It'll be sayonara to your memories at Duel Academy. I'll make it as if it almost never occurred. You'll just have to void it, and turn it into a gap in time." Jaden opened his mouth to protest but the redhead continued. "I know you don't want or need the memories. So let it be nobody's memories."

"Now wait a se-" Jaden was cut off as his felt Adrian lean over. And in that second, he felt the redhead's lips crash onto his. Forcefully.

After finally breaking away from Adrian, Jaden turned around to gaze at Jesse. The European boy had a huge smile on his face. "How cute," Jesse remarked.

Jaden flinched as Adrian draped his arm over his shoulder. "Hey Jess, everything is not what it seems..." the brunette managed.

"Oh, no. I know what happened," Jesse said, playfully shooting a wink. "I'll head back over to the other side... Enjoy your time together, okay?" he added nonchalantly as he walked away.

Once his back was faced again Jaden, Jesse's face erupted into an array of emotions. Pain. Disbelief. Confusion. And even... Betrayal? "He's my best friend. I should be happy that he's found his partner..." he murmured quietly as a single tear silently fell down his soft cheek. With his emerald eyes still brimming with tears, Jesse forced himself to walk in a jubilant way, skipping rhythmically, in order not to arouse Jaden's suspicion.

Atticus, still in hiding, dropped the granola bar he was snacking on and choked down a startled cry when he saw the pained expression on the bluenette.

Jesse casually slid all his shells into his pocket, ignoring the intense stare emitted from a certain brunette. "Show everyone some positivity, Jesse," he whispered to himself, stretching a huge smile on his face. Then it crumpled. "Oh, who am I kidding."

Making sure he was turned away from Jaden, Jesse waddled into the water, feeling the cool waves splash against him as his tears became drops in the sea.


	3. Aster, you're so dead! DED DEAD!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. Nor do I own the Waffle Song, or the Little Mermaid song from Disney.**

* * *

><p>Jesse locked the door to his personal bathroom in the Obelisk dorm and turned on the tap. His body felt light and his head hazy, like a dream. His shoulders and thighs were wobbly, unable to sustain standing posture of the poor boy much longer. After witnessing Jaden and Adrian's kiss, he had loitered at the beach for a while then excused himself.<p>

The bluenette faced the shower, allowing the water to flow diagonally down his chest, rush down the sides of his body then crash onto the floor, finally rolling down the drain. Jesse shuddered with pleasure and inhaled deeply. He had left the Slifer dorm and moved back to his original room, despite protests from Hassleberry, Syrus, and even Chazz.

The European boy gripped the tap, increasing the strength of the water. Staring at his broken and tear-stricken face, sadness washed over him like the water from the shower. Eighteen or eighty, it didn't matter anymore. "I'm so stupid," he whispered to himself. "I had a perfect friendship and my jealousy ruined it."

Squeezing his eyes shut, Jesse turned the water to full blast. The glistening water droplets splashed down, temporarily forming a waterfall. "I need to come clean," he muttered to himself, as he tried to wash away the memories from the afternoon, but to no avail.

In frustration, Jesse slammed the tap off. Wiping away the clear water from his face, Jesse reopened his eyes. And just for that split second, he felt like his heart was open and clean, and everything before his eyes was bright and beautiful...

Wrapped in a towel, he walked over to the window of his room. The sky was flecked with stars. And he that was when he noticed.

Sliding his hand down the navy window frame, Jesse chuckled softly. "It's a beautiful night."

* * *

><p>"It's a beautiful night," Jaden said to himself, as he gazed out at the night sky.<p>

Looking at the unoccupied bunk above him, Jaden felt his heart being slashed apart.

"That's it, I'm going to talk to him." The brunette determinedly hopped off his bed, slipped on his boots and dashed off.

* * *

><p>Pulling on fresh clothes, Jesse walked out of the Obelisk dorm.<p>

"Fancy bumping into you." Aster said, suddenly stepping out from a nearby pillar.

Jesse managed a smile. "Been here for a while?"

"Yeah." the silver-haired boy look confused. "I thought we were supposed to meet below the flagpole today. I was late, but by the time I reached there, no one was present."

"Adrian," Jesse's voice sounded strangled, "said you were busy so we set off on our own."

Aster pouted. "I said no such thing."

Before Jesse could digest Aster's words, a flash of light streaked across the sky. "Oh wow, a shooting star," Jesse breathed, looking upwards.

"You light my world like a shooting star arose the night sky too..." Aster fixated his eyes on the wide-eyed bluenette as he gestured at the glimmering moon. "You are the moon as it dips and twirls in a celestial dance. You are brighter than the sun..." Aster leaned in closer and whispered, "And just as hot."

Tongue-tied, Jesse couldn't do anything but blush. "I hope you never stop shining for me." Aster took the bluenette's hand and clasped it tightly. "I just..." he trailed off. Mustering more courage, Aster continued. "Jesse, I do like you. You're an amazing guy. I want to get to know you. All of you, every aspect of who you are. Truly, I do."

Jaden, who was watching the two for the whole time since he came out of the Slifer dorm, choked down a surprised cry. "What does that mean?" he asked himself quietly.

"He's gonna confess," a voice blurted out from behind him. Startled, Jaden whirled back to face the "Master of Love" himself. "Shh," Atticus placed a finger on the brown-eyed boy's lips. "It's not going to work out."

Jesse fidgeted uncomfortably. "Aster," his voice was wobbly. "I'm sorry... I like you, but it hasn't reached the stages beyond friends yet."

"Told you," Atticus flashed the brunette a victorious grin.

"I understand." Suddenly, the silver-haired boy stood up, slowly scanning the grounds. Atticus and Jaden held their breath. "I feel like we're being watched," Aster said under his breath.

"Scatter!" Jaden hissed at Atticus. Tactfully, the boys parted. Atticus made a dash towards the Obelisk Blue dorm.

Aster saw him running. "ATTICUS! STOP RIGHT THERE!" He screamed at the escaping brunette as he dashed after him.

Jaden stood up from his crawling position, only to hit his head on a branch. "Ow."

"Jay," a voice said from above him.

The brunette looked up, but it was hard to see in the dark night. "Jesse?"

"What are you doing out here?" the brunette asked as Jesse helped Jaden up.

His face unreadable, Jesse crossed his arms and eyeballed Jaden. "I could ask you the same thing," he replied, after a moment of hesitation.

Silence.

"You should have told me," Jesse chuffed, breaking the first awkward silence between the two. "I wouldn't have bothered standing between you and Adrian in the first place."

"That's not it!" Jaden was talking fast, his words rushing against one another. "He forced the kiss on me! I don't like him!"

"You don't?" the bluenette was taken aback.

Jaden put a hand on his arm. "Yeah, I don't. I promise."

"Look into my eyes and say that again."

Again, the magical silence enveloped the duo as brown stared into blue.

After a while, Jesse smiled, satisfied, his cerulean eyes crinkling. "Okay, I believe you."

Jaden reached out to put his arm around his best friend. "Regarding what I heard Aster say earlier on..." He shifted slightly, nervously, leaving space between the two. "What if a star in the sky... Disappeared? What if... You knew it would only appear for a certain period of time... Then completely vanish from your life?" Jesse wasn't even sure if Jaden was just talking about the stars in the night sky anymore.

Jesse looked at the vulnerable boy, and, after a slight bit of hesitation, leaned in closer, his refreshing breath evident on Jaden's cheek. The bluenette chose his words carefully.

"Sometimes, a dying star turns into a pulsar. One of the brightest and most unforgettable stars in the sky. And it might not always be there, but the memories of it will always be embedded in your mind."

* * *

><p>"Good job," Viper said after hearing Adrian report what he did for the day. He pointed at the gem on the wall, which was still half vermillion, half orange. "Just keep it at that for the next 5 days."<p>

"Uh..." Adrian began as a yellow color spread across the gem. Viper swung to face it.

"Pfft!" he spat out. Turning to the redhead, he crossed his arms. "Your plan doesn't seem to be working out well, Mr. Gecko. I suppose the two have made up and," he flung his hand dramatically at the gem, "became even closer?" He stood there, in that position, as he silently seethed.

Calming himself down, Viper said, "I suggest you try a different approach."

"Yes, Master Viper."

* * *

><p><span>Day 3<span>

"Up and at 'em, Sarge, Anderson!" a mighty roar blasted the bluenette awake. "IT'S MORNING!"

"Ugh, Hassleberry," Jesse groaned. After clearing all misunderstandings last night, the bluenette had moved back into the Slifer dorm with Jaden. Climbing down his bunk, he peered at the brunette.

Completely oblivious, Jaden was still sleeping, his hands clenched into fists.

"I'll do it!" Jesse shouted across the room as he saw Syrus drag in a pail full of water.

"Geez, Anderson, you didn't have to yell so loudly," Chazz complained as he trudged in the room, still dazed. "People like yours truly need their sleep to remain awesome."

There was a knock at the door.

"Geez! What is it with people knocking on our door every morning?" Chazz threw his hands into the air, exasperated, as he stomped over to the door and flung it open. "WHAT?"

"Princeton." Aster again.

"Oh, hi." Chazz immediately transformed into his posh and polite self as he saw the top duelist stand in front of him.

"I'm here to apologize to Jesse." Aster turned to the bluenette.

"There's nothing you have to apologize about!" Jesse protested, his turquoise orbs wide.

Aster tilted his head to one side. "As long as you forgive me for last night."

"What happened last night?" Chazz, Syrus and Hassleberry interrupted at the same time.

"Nothing at all." the silver-haired boy flipped back coolly. He turned back to the door. "I'll head off now." He accidentally knocked into Chazz, and the two tumbled to the floor. Chazz sprawled on the bottom, and Aster landed on the top. "Sorry," he muttered as he helped Chazz up.

Chazz gave him a genuine smile. "No problem." The two locked eyes for a moment. Grinning mischievously, Aster snatched something from Chazz's pocket and dashed off.

It was Chazz's Ojama Yellow card.

"COME BACK!" the raven screeched.

Aster turned back, teasingly waving the card in the air. "Shall I give it back to you, or are you going to fight for it like a man?" he asked provocatively, obviously trying to get a rise out of Chazz.

A determined glint appeared in the corner of Chazz's eye. "Phoenix, you are so dead! D-E-D, DEAD!" Focusing on the silver-haired boy, Chazz playfully scrambled after him.

"Let's get this movin'" the European boy declared determinedly after the two ran out, as he sat down next to the slumbering brunette and hoisted the pail onto his lap.

Raising the pail and his voice, Jesse splashed a tiny drop on Jaden's nose. "Wake up, sleeping beauty."

No response.

"You have to pour the whole pail on him to generate a response," Syrus said helpfully.

"Get 'em, Jesse," Hassleberry said as the bluenette tipped the whole pail of water over the brunette.

"Gah!" Jaden opened his eyes groggily, only to see emerald green orbs peering down at him. "Jesse's personally waken me up?" he asked in a half-awake state, "Did I just die and go to heaven?"

Syrus and Hassleberry exchanged glances when they saw the bluenette drop the pail as his face turned into a new shade of red.

Jaden swiftly sat up, which only managed to startle Jesse since the other two were used to it. "Sup?"

"I'm a winner!" sang a scratchy, singsong voice. Skipping merrily, Chazz bounced into the room, clutching the Ojama Yellow card in his right hand and Aster's hand in his left.

Staring at Aster and Chazz's clasped hands, four pairs of eyes stared at the two and four jaws dropped to the ground.

"What?" snapped the raven defensively.

The four immediately erupted into laughter. Cheesy grins plastered their faces.

"So strange," the silver-haired boy mused. He tugged Chazz's arm. "Chazzy, let's go grab breakfast."

"CHAZZY?" Hassleberry echoed. That set the four off laughing again.

"Slackers," muttered Chazz. Squeezing Aster's hand, he walked out of the door. "C'mon, let's go."

After making sure Aster and Chazz had left, Jesse smirked. "Potential cute couple."

"For sure." The brunette plopped back on his bunk. "Wonder what's for breakfast?"

"Do you like waffles?" Atticus sauntered in, donning another typical Hawaiian shirt, strumming the ukelele while singing off-tune.

"You again," sighed Syrus.

"Yeah, I like waffles," Jaden admitted, "but fried shrimp still take the cake."

"Do you like pancakes?" Atticus continued to sing.

"Hmm." The brunette was lost kn thought. "Yeah, I like pancakes."

Jesse groaned. "Atticus, please don't tell me this is a reference to The Waffle Song."

"Aw come on, why can't we have some fun?" the taller brunette stopped in the middle of the song. "Besides, we really ARE having pancakes and waffles for breakfast," he added.

"Why are you adding unnecessary dialogue in the fanfic anyway?" Jesse asked, puzzled.

Atticus tossed his luscious hazel hair behind his shoulders. "Simple. The author had made me one of her favorite characters after reading a few..." he lowered his voice, pausing dramatically, "Zane X Atticus fanfics. So she decided to give me more lines and screen time!"

"Author?" the four asked, puzzled.

"Oh, have I not told you?"

**-Flashback, one day ago-**

_Atticus stumbled backwards as he tripped over a loose root from a random tree on the ground. Gosh, he was so going to talk to Crowler about trimming those stupid plants! He wondered if he managed to lose Aster from all that running._

_Important things first, though. He quickly snapped his mobile phone open and used it as a light source as he surveyed himself. Other than the slightly ripped Hawaiian shirt (oh, the agony!), he seemed unharmed. With his looks in check, the brunette peered backwards. Aster wasn't in sight. Running away from Jesse and Aster like that was a stupid idea, Atticus, he reprimanded to himself._

_"So I kissed Jaden. It pretty much threw Jesse completely off course." Hearing the conversation, Atticus swerved to the left. "Adrian? Would that be him? Should I spy on him?" he questioned himself. "Go on Atticus, as the Master of Love, you should do it! Or what are you, chicken?"_

_He froze. "Maybe a little," he admitted._

_"Jaden's one of sissy's best friends. As her bro-bro, I should do it," he decided. "Besides, I'm curious about it myself." He laughed. "Oh, naughty naughty Atticus," he scolded himself. "This is for sissy. You're doing a very heroic deed."_

_Atticus pressed his ear against the stone wall, catching snitches of the conversation._

_"I suggest you try a different approach." a deep voice boomed._

_"Yes, Master Viper." Adrian's voice._

_Approach? Atticus's chocolate brown eyes widened. What did they mean?_

_"I'm heading back to the Academy."_

_"Don't screw up again, Gecko."_

_The brunette held his breath as he saw Adrian saunter out of a small cavern, just a few feet away. Strange. He had never noticed that there was a cave there until he saw Adrian come out of it._

_Stealthily, Atticus snuck inside._

**-Flashback Interruption-**

"You serious?" Syrus exclaimed at Atticus. "You don't even have a single stealth gene in your system!"

"Saying that you stealthily snuck in..." Jaden said honestly, "would be the overstatement of the century."

"Yeah!" Hassleberry added in his own two cents. "Atticus being stealthy is like mixing water with oil. It doesn't work out!"

"Oh enough with the similes! Just let me off the hook for once!" the accused Atticus whined. He randomly strummed a few peculiar chords on the ukelele. "Let me continue."

**-Okay, back to Flashback-**

_"Let's see," Atticus wandered into the cave. And his breath was taken away, the way oxygen quickly depleted from their lungs when fangirls and fanboys saw him pass by.  
><em>_**  
><strong>_**-Interruption-**

"Oh please, get to the point," grumbled Hassleberry.

**-Back to the Flashback-**

_Other than a huge, shining gem on the wall, the cave was absolutely bare. Crimson red, warm orange and sunshine yellow entwined together on the gem, giving it a vibrant glow. The sight was so mystical and captivating that the brunette felt like there was a strong force emanating from it drag him closer._

Atticus walked over to the gem, running a hand on the glistening surface. "Look at this stuff, isn't it neat, wouldn't you think my collection's complete? Wouldn't you think I'm the boy, the boy who has everything?" he sang merrily, completely captivated by the stunning glow. "Wait, Atti!" the brunette mentally slapped himself. This wasn't the time to sing Disney songs! What if Viper heard him?

_**No, Viper is not here at the moment.**_

_"Who's that?" the brunette whirled around and did a 360. No one._

_**I'm the author, Atticus. **_

_"Author?"_

_**Yes. I'm a huge fan of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.**_

_"That's good to know." Atticus flashed a charming grin._

_**Because of your bubbly personality in fanfics, you have become one of my favorite characters in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.**_

"So I'm your number one favorite?"

_**No, Jesse is.**_

_"Oh phooey."_

_**Listen up, handsome. Viper and Adrian are trying to separate a potential couple. My favorite couple in fact.**_

_"It's not Zane X Atticus?" the brunette whimpered._

_**No, that's my second favorite.**_

_Deflated, Atticus heaved a sigh. "And what are their names then?"_

_**Atticus**._

_"Who, me? Paired up with who? I only like my one and only Zaney!"_

_**No, you're not part of the pairing. Listen, Viper's finished peeing, he's heading back in.  
><strong>__  
>"So now what?"<em>

_The clanging of pots and pans were getting louder._

_**Run!**_

_"Now?"_

_**Duh! I'll stall for time. **_

_Atticus heard the pots crash to the floor. Then he heard a few inappropriate words Viper must have said under his breath. That was sufficient for Atticus; he bolted out of the door._

**-End of Flashback-**

**Author's Note: Sorry for the weird ending to the chapter! But that's all I've written for now... This is my first fanfic, please R&R!**


	4. A dash of Strawberry Milk

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. Also, I do not own strawberry milk or the game "Pass the Parcel", as hardcore as that is. I do not own "Friday" by Rebecca Black. I'd also like to apologize for the obscure GX dub joke reference I made in this chapter. And the unnecessary dialogue.**

* * *

><p>"I GOT IT! YAY THE PARCEL IS <em>MINE<em>!" Adrian's head jerked up to attention as he heard Jaden yelp out in joy from the Slifer Red dorm. _Parcel?_ The redhead ran frantically to the dorm. Didn't Viper say that Jaden would be too simple-minded to find it? How did he manage to discover it within three days since Jesse's arrival?

Ramming down the door to the Slifer dorm, Adrian scrambled into the room. "Where's the parcel?" he practically yelled out.

"Um, there." Syrus awkwardly pointed to a parcel sitting in Jaden's lap.

"Gimme that," the redhead said as he snatched it from Jaden. He quickly examined it. Man, that is one ugly parcel. It was wrapped in newspaper and made squelchy noises when Adrian held it.

"What's wrong with you?" the Master of Love asked, staring at the redhead suspiciously. Jesse remained silent, but from the sultry look on his face, he probably wanted to ask the same question.

"Jaden found the Lone Parcel!" wailed Adrian. "I don't wanna disappear!"

His only responses were blank stares from Syrus, Hassleberry, Jaden and Atticus.

"Wait-saurus," Hassleberry began. "Why would ya disappear?"

"YOU FOOLS! YOU IGNORANT FOOLS!" screeched Adrian as he tore the newspaper off the parcel. "THE STUFF INSIDE THIS PARCEL CAN CONTROL MY DEMISE! I COULD DISAPPEAR ANY SEC-"

Adrian's rambling halted to a stop as he saw candy spill out from the parcel.

A scowl appeared on Jesse's now-annoyed face. "Candy can make you disappear?" His blue eyes gave Adrian an icy stare, cold and calculating.

"And this ain't the lone parcel!" Jaden said, interrupting the tense atmosphere. "Atticus brought plenty of extra parcels so we could play a few more rounds of Pass the Parcel! So no biggie, Adrian."

And that was when reality dawned on the redhead. It was a false alarm! Carelessly dropping the parcel to the ground, Adrian muttered a "gotta go" and stumbled out of the dorm.

Jesse shook his head. "Man, that was weird." There was hate injected in his usual sweet voice. Abruptly, the bluenette stood up. "Excuse me for a sec." He scuttled out of the dorm after Adrian.

"Don't take too long!" Jaden shouted out as he watched Jesse dash off.

"Lone parcel, huh." Atticus was already trying to paste the story together, but since he rarely ever used his mind to think, it wasn't whirring. "Come on, mind, work!" he whined in frustration while hitting his head with one of the newspaper parcels as the other three watched him in awe.

Jaden unwrapped one of the candies that fell out from the parcel. "I wonder what he meant by the parcel being the end of his demise. I mean," he paused to devour the candy. "How on earth could a parcel make him disappear?"

"But he ran in screaming the way babies screamed as if the world had ended," Syrus chipped in, "So I think he really was serious."

"Either that, or he's a really greet actor," concluded Hassleberry.

"Let's just continue playing Pass the Parcel," Atticus said somewhat wearily, after trying to kickstart his brain throughout the whole conversation but to no avail.

"Aww Atticus, do we still have to play? I stopped playing Pass the Parcel when I was five," Syrus sighed.

"Nonsense! This is great fun! You're never too old to play Pass the Parcel, dude!" Crunching a few pieces of confectionary, the taller brunette turned back to the CD player. "Which song should we play this time?"

* * *

><p>Jesse slowly crept up to Adrian. He scowled. Stupid Adrian and his muscular arms and toned abs and nerdy glasses and flashy spiked hair! Always barging in when he and Jaden were having fun. After trashing the (rather lame) Pass the Parcel Party Atticus had held in the Slifer Red dorm, he was determined to confront Adrian.<p>

"Eh?" The bluenette wondered aloud as he saw Adrian slip between two boulders. His eyes widened. That must be the cave Atticus was talking about this morning!

Jesse tactfully glued his ear to the wall. He heard muffled voices.

"What now, Gecko?" a deep, menacing voice. That must be Viper, deduced the bluenette.

"There was a false call today. I accidentally slipped out the fact that I was trying to locate The Lone Parcel." The bullheaded Adrian's voice.

SMACK! The bluenette couldn't help but wince out loud as he heard the sound of someone being slapped. Adrian's pained cry shot out from the cave.

Viper's calm voice rang out. "The next time you do something preposterous like this, I'll make sure you'll get exactly what you deserve."

A ghastly silence.

"And you don't want to know what you'll get, trust me."

More silence.

"Well!" Viper's voice was suddenly a semitone lighter. "At least they don't know that Jaden has to claim it for it to activate!" A more cheerful pause. Then, "Who wants cookies?"

That was all Jesse had to hear. Peeling himself off the cool wall, he trotted back to the Slifer dorm.

* * *

><p>"JESSE! YOU'RE BACK!" Jaden screamed delightedly as he slammed the CD player off. Hassleberry and Syrus looked equally as joyful to see him. Jesse walked over to the brunette and ruffled his chestnut hair. "What did I miss?"<p>

"A lot of fun," replied Jaden sarcastically. "We were playing the 31st round of Pass the Parcel."

"Jaden chose the song himself," added Atticus casually, ignoring the heated glares to shut up shot by Jaden, "He said the song was what he felt when you arrived at Duel Academy."

"It's his favorite song," Syrus piped up.

"Oh?" the bluenette turned to Jaden, whose face was becoming increasingly flushed, turning into a light shade of a lovely red. "May I ask what song it is?"

Syrus, Atticus and Hassleberry stifled the laughter coming out of their mouths.

"Nuh-uh." the shorter brunette turned a shade redder.

Smiling sentimentally, Jesse grasped the brunette's shoulders as he provocatively gazed into his hazel eyes.

"Aww! Not the BAMBI eyes!" whined Jaden. "I can't resist Bambi eyes! Alright, alright! I'll tell you!" Jesse loosened his grip and flashed the brunette another warm and charming smile. Jaden looked away, his fluffy brown fringe covering his eyes, and murmured, "Fried egg by ribbed beak a bag."

"Fried eggs?" the bluenette echoed, perplexed.

That did it. Atticus burst into peals of laughter, Syrus started chuckling and Hassleberry clutched his stomach as he failed to suppress his giggles.

"That's not the song name," Jaden said, somewhat embarrassed.

"Say it clearer then? Please?" Another captivating smile. The brunette felt himself swoon.

_"Friday by Rebecca Black."_

Jesse's lips twitched slightly at the answer. How cute, thought the bluenette, was that? He smiled a ravishing smile and looked into Jaden's eyes. And was lost in their majestic beauty.

"Yo Jes, so where did you go? You missed quite a lot of rounds of Pass the Parcel." Atticus's voice snapped Jesse back into reality.

"Oh, right!" the bluenette's eyes widen. "You have no idea what I overheard outside the cave today..."

* * *

><p>Due to the Author's laziness, she had decided to distort time and space (how cool is that?) and zoom to narrate about the most exciting event that happened in the afternoon.<p>

Yes, you guessed it. The Most Exciting Parcel-Hunting Expedition was in action, initiated by the Prince of Fun himself, Atticus Rhodes.

"Tch, tch, yoo-hoo! Where are you?" Atticus called out as he cupped a hand over his mouth.

"Where's what, Atticus?" Chazz walked out of the Duel Academy campus, arm-in-arm with Aster.

"He meant his mind, clearly he's lost it," muttered Jaden as he heaved three camping bags down the trail.

The silver-haired boy glanced at the sorry bunch. Sweat poured down Jaden's face. Jesse looked like he was about to collapse from the weight of the bag he was carrying. Syrus looked even more tired, with his glasses drooping lower than usual. Even Hassleberry seemed worn out. "What in the name of Diamond Dude are you five doing?"

"Finding the parcel Jaden has to claim!" replied Atticus, the only one in the group that still seemed to have energy brimming all over. "So I've organized a super special awesome expedition to search for it!"

The raven looked over the group. "I don't think you'd need camping tools to search for a mere parcel."

Aster gave a slight nod. "Exactly." Jesse tipped to one side and lost his balance. His bag split open and pots, walnuts and strawberry-flavored milk rolled out. The silver-haired boy winced. Ouch. That's gotta hurt.

Jaden stopped lugging his bags around and knelt down to help Jesse pick the dropped items. "Gimme that," Chazz muttered, snatching two cartons of strawberry milk. "Why is it even strawberry flavored?" he opened both; one for him, one for his Aster.

"I like strawberry-flavored milk more than just plain ol' milk!" the taller brunette protested pseudo-defensively, as he watched Aster and Chazz gulp down the whole carton in three shots. "Congratulations!" Atticus exclaimed, startling everyone, as he beamed jubilantly at Chazz and Aster. "You are now part of the expedition group!"

Aster's ocean blue eyes widened in shock, disbelief, irritation and (mostly!) disgust. He pursed his lips together, hoping to succeed in biting his tongue long enough to prevent himself from making a snide remark or protest. Chazz, on the other hand, wasn't too reserved.

"BUT WE DON'T WANNA JOIN YOUR LITTLE FUN CLUB!" he exploded. "WE WERE ABOUT TO GO ON OUR FIRST DATE AND YOU BARGE IN AND RUIN IT!"

The Master of Love's ears pricked up at the word "date". "Taking things nice and quick, aren't we?" The taller brunette handed Aster and Chazz each a bag. "You drank our only supply of strawberry milk so you're part of the team! Enjoy your first date in the mountain."

_Maybe we could have our first date sitting under a tree, while taking turns to take bites from a fruit I picked_, Chazz thought.

Aster crossed his arms. "Wild fruit can be poisonous, Chazz."

"Wha-? I didn't say nothin'." _Hmm. That was weird. Scratch that thought then. Maybe we could sneak off and head to the beach. Mm, yeah. We could sit side by side, dig our feet in sand and watch the sunset._ Chazz smiled.

Smirks came from the silver-haired boy. "I don't like my feet full of sand, Chazzy."

_How does he know what I think? He can't read minds. Or can he?_ The raven thought frantically. _Oh no, has he picked up his thought about them having s-_

"No dirty thoughts yet," the edges of Aster's mouth were twitching. "Chill."

The raven's cheeks turned into the color of beetroots.

* * *

><p>"Awright, let's separate here and meet up in the abandoned dorm tonight," Atticus declared as he halted to a stop at the fork in the road. "To help increase the pace of this wonderful expedition and to find the parcel faster," the taller brunette whipped out a piece of paper, "I've conveniently divided us into teams."<p>

Jesse squinted to focus on Atticus's scrawled, cursive handwriting. "Jesse and Jaden, Chazz and Aster, and Atticus and the Two Kids?"

"Wait a sec," Syrus said, counting his fingers carefully. "Who's the two kids? Let's see, it's not Atticus, Chazz, Aster, Jesse or Jaden. That leaves... Hey, wait!"

"Why are we called the Two Kids?" Hassleberry roared.

The heartthrob brunette struck a pose and spun, his chestnut hair flying majestically. "Doesn't matter, does it?"

Jaden blushed. "You chose the teams on purpose, didn't you?" he leaned in closer and whispered in Atticus's ear. "Jesse and I are friends, nothing more," he hissed.

Flustered, Atticus began talking quickly in his own defense. "N-n-no! Dudes, I paired up Chazzyspazzy with Aster here 'c-c-cuz they'd have their own time to themselves... And I chose to be with the Two Kids because Hassleberry has most of the food for me to chow down on... And Syrus because... He's uh..." he thought carefully. "He's um, nice."

"Nice?" spat Syrus. "Couldn't you think of a better adjective to describe me with?"

"Nope." the heartthrob was frank. He turned back to an unconvinced Jaden. "So that leaves the two of you."

Chazz looked pleased enough with the pairings. "Okay, I got it!" He shoved the five to the right. "You guys go this way. Aster and I will, um, conduct some uh, specific research the other way." He yanked the poor silver-haired boy to the left and ran off at the speed of light. "Tally-ho!"

"Oh yeah, we better get going too, kids!" Atticus said as he beamed at Syrus and Hassleberry. "We've got a parcel to find!" he did a 180. "Follow me, boys!" He jubilantly trudged back in the direction they came from.

"Wait up!" Syrus panted as he and Hassleberry ran after Atticus.

That left Jesse and Jaden standing there. Jesse tilted his head. "Wasn't that the way they came from? They're heading back to Duel Academy."

"Who cares?" Jaden scoffed. _YES, THIS IS MY LUCKY DAY!_ thought the brunette.

"Um, Jaden, you feeling okay?" Jaden snapped out of his trance as he saw huge turquoise poles boring into his eyes. Jesse sighed as he shook his head. "I'm not sure if I was hallucinating, but I swear I saw your eyes carry a crazed look just now."

"I'm just uh..." Jaden tried to come up with a convincing excuse. "Just excited. Yeah, excited, that's all."

"Excited? Why?"_ Damn._

"Is it wrong to be excited over nothing? I can be excited whenever I want, can I not? Besides, being excited is good! Excitement is exciting, don't cha think? Yeah! It's great stuff..." the brunette trailed off when he discovered he was warbling nonsense.

Jesse's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Sure, you can be excited over nothing, but I still think there's a reason."

"Oh... Oh yeah! I sure do! It's because... Hmm... Let's see... B-b-because Atticus promised us chocolate if we found the parcel! Yup, yup! A-a-and that he'd write a poem for the team that found it!" Jaden mentally slapped himself. _Good job Jaden_, he thought sarcastically.

Jesse was still, obviously, unconvinced. He crossed his arms. "Atticus has the intellectual capacity of a rock."

_How could you forget that Atticus was academically slower than others_? Jaden scolded himself. **MENTAL SLAP**. Stupid. **MENTAL SLAP**. Stupid. **MENT**-

"Uh, Jaden, what's wrong with your face?" Jaden's face was contorted in pain.

"N-n-no reason, Jess!" the brunette laughed nervously. "Just mentally sla- I mean, thinking about stuff!"

The bluenette rolled his eyes. "Still about the chocolate prize?"

"Y-y-yeah! Besides, Chazzyspazzy said he would give us more chocolate than Atticus if we died." The brunette was genuinely grinning. "Mm, more chocolate." His eyes were shining. "I wanna die now!"

Jesse groaned. "Don't trust him."

"If you say so." Smiling pleasantly at the bluenette, Jaden grabbed ahold of his camping bag. "Let's find the parcel."

"Okay." Jesse matched his pace to Jaden's, and the two walked off.

"Jaden?"

"Hm?"

"I'm a transfer student and all, so I was wondering, isn't the abandoned dorm a five minute walk from Duel Academy?"

"Yeah." the brunette paused. "Why ask?"

"Well, since we could technically eat and everything at Duel Academy** then** sneak out to the abandoned dorm..." Jesse gestured to the huge load they were carrying. "Why did we have to _**carry all these RA-DAMNING stuff with us**_?"

The two groaned in unison.

"ATTICUS!" they hissed.


	5. Tea for Two

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX and all that jazz, insert legal stuff here, blah blah blah.**

**Author's Note: I apologize for re-uploading the previous chapters, so sorry for spamming y'all who favorited the story/ put it on alert. So I wrote an extra chapter as an apology. I attempted to make this chapter sound more heartfelt and less lame as a change. Maybe a little OOC? Probably gonna go back to writing lame chapters afterwards, this was too hard for me xD Anyhow, enjoy:3**

* * *

><p>"Holy Neo-Spacian Grand Moley!" Jaden groaned. "It's raining."<p>

The two had covered a fairly long distance in the hike in search of the parcel. They were so far away from the base that Duel Academy was the size of an ant.

"Shelter," muttered Jesse, "Must. Find. Shelter." His cerulean eyes scanned the surroundings. Trees. More trees. Still trees. Why are they all trees? Oh! His cerulean eyes shot up triumphantly. Moss!

Jaden gazed in Jesse's direction and shook his head. "No, Jess. We can't hide under moss."

Disappointed, Jesse continued looking. "Stupid rain."

As if in response, the rain pelted down faster.

"Oh, bugger!" Jesse shook his head wildly to flip off the drops of rain, his nose slightly scrunched up in irritation.

Jaden found himself glued to the spot, his head tilted slightly to the side to get a better look at the drenched bluenette. Wet shirt, dripping wet hair, and huge, gorgeous emerald eyes. _Mm_. He never felt as exhilarated as he did now.

Man, if only he could get into Jesse's pants...

_Wait a sec_, Jaden thought. _Why would I want to get into his pants? Or even think perverted thoughts about my best friend, in that matter? I'm straight. Yessirree, oh-so-straight. As straight as... A lamp post. Oh, yeah. Lamp posts are really straight. That's why I'm like one._

"Jaden?"

_Ultra straight. Very straight indeed. How can you be so straight, Jaden? There's not even a single curve in you! You like girls, you silly goose! Girls, and definitely not boys with crystal blue eyes, slightly toned abs, tousled indigo hair, perfectly swept teal colored bangs, a radiant look, and an amazing personality..._

"Jay! Snap out of it!" The bluenette desperately tugged at the sleeve of Jaden's Slifer Red uniform, bringing him back to earth. "What are you doing?" he asked curiously.

"I'm, um... Searching for a good place for us to use as shelter?" Remembering that he was supposed to be locating a shaded area, Jaden quickly looked under a small rock. "Nope, no good."

"Jaden." A bemused expression had formed on the bluenette's face. "Something wrong?"

"N-n-no! Why would you say that?" Fortunately, luck was on Jaden's side. Desperately swerving to the left to avoid Jesse's inscrutable gaze, he had found shelter. "Look Jes, a cave!"

"Whoa! How convenient!" Completely forgetting about Jaden's eccentric behavior, Jesse gave Jaden one of his brightest smiles, emerald eyes sparkling like gems. "You're the best, Jay!" Jaden's breath was taken away. All that dumb acting and pointless searching was all worth it, he thought.

"Alright," the brunette said, gathering his thoughts. "Let's head in." Jesse's head bobbled up and down in agreement.

With grateful hearts, the two scrambled into the cave, which was only set up by the author in order to help them dodge the rain.

* * *

><p>"This is going to take quite a while," Jaden commented helpfully, as the two sat together in the cave while they watched the rain pour. The bags Atticus entrusted them with were carelessly discarded by the opening of the cave.<p>

The bluenette sighed. The wind howled, blowing ruthlessly on his damp skin, making Jesse shiver. "Aww, cold?" asked Jaden. A slight nod. "No problem, I'll share you some of my warmth." He draped his arm over the indigo-haired boy's shoulder, holding him close to his chest.

Jesse felt his body tingle in response as he felt the warmth given off from the brunette travel all over him. He stared ahead, not wanting to ruin the moment.

Once again, the two lapsed into silence. The only noises that could be heard were the quickened breathing emitted from the duo and the pitter-patter sounds of the rain crashing to the ground.

Although the two were absolutely silent, they had the same question whizzing around in their heads: _is there more to this friendship than I think?_

Neither could come up with a certain response.

After a while, Jaden stood up. "I should go and take a look around. We gotta find Duel Academy so we can head back today, or tomorrow if the rain doesn't stop."

"But it's raining," protested Jesse. "You'll get wet!"

"I'd rather get wet than make you go and run the risk of you getting sick." Good job Jaden, the brunette silently cheered. You sounded like a man. Jesse better be impressed.

He was. "Jaden, you're so amazing." Jesse blurted out. "Oh no." The bluenette felt his cheeks flame. "Did I just say that out loud?"

"Maybe." The brunette was glad that the darkness covered up his smug grin. "I'll head off now. Make us something to eat, will ya?" Suave. Jaden squelched down the immediate desire to punch the air in victory. "It'll be tea for two," he added coolly.

Jesse tried to think of something to say, but like so many other times recently, he felt like he had nothing to say. When he turned to gaze at the brunette, he realized he had vanished.

Jesse made his way slowly to the bags. Rummaging for a while, he dug up a tin of peanut butter, a knife and a stack of white bread. ("Ew, no wheat bread, that's like, so yucky," Atticus had said.) The cave was dark except for the dim ray of light shining from the entrance. The bluenette felt a little like that - cold and dark, with just one small light deep inside him. Jaden.

* * *

><p>Jaden took off into the bleak outdoors. Over the sound of the pouring rain and the shifting rocks, he could barely make out the sound of his own shoes crunching leaves below them.<p>

"Gah!" he squeaked as he almost tripped over a loose rock. And it hit him (not literally, of course). _Why didn't you bring a torch with you? How forgetful,_ he scolded himself. _Now you'll have to go back in the cave to get it. So much for a heroic exit._

Jaden wrung his hazel hair and water dripped out of it. _Just hope that you've managed to make Jesse fall head over heels for you. Then everything you do, even the stupid ones, will be seen as graceful movements. That's right. Just stay cool._

Why did he even want to impress the bluenette, anyway? Jaden scratched his head. Did best friends have to impress each other?

"Oh well," he said to himself after a moment. "Thinking about this really won't make things any better. I should head back."

* * *

><p>The beautiful silhouette appeared at the door. <em>There he is again!<em> Jesse could feel his hormones raging inside him, and silently cursed as he felt the blood rush to his head. _Ignore him. Focus._ The poor bluenette's brain tried to stay on task, but his hand seems to have a mind of its own.

The next spread of peanut butter on the bread was so squiggly that it looked almost as frazzled as Chazz's hair.

Jesse avoided the brunette's bright brown eyes, feeling his irritation at his uncooperative hands bubbling over. He was very close to shouting at them for not spreading the peanut butter evenly.

"Just getting a torch, since it's getting dark," Jaden drawled casually as he snuck wishful glances at the teal haired boy.

"No problem." Jesse peeked at the brunette, who was now at the opening of the cave, searching for the torch among the bags they dragged in.

"Aha." After rummaging for a while, the brunette triumphantly raised the flashlight. He turned, making the shy bluenette fix his eyes on his work. Again, Jesse blushed a deep shade of crimson, which was, fortunately, masked by the darkness. Calm down. Jesse tried spreading the glob of peanut better. This time, it was even worse than the previous one, making the spread lumpy, like the mountain they were on.

The bluenette, cheeks still burning, kept his head down as he saw Jaden walk towards him.

Jaden stood next to the pile of neatly-stacked peanut butter sandwiches as he silently watched Jesse's trembling hand use the knife to even out the spread on the next piece. He gradually shuffled closer to the bluenette, who now was frozen to the spot. Not moving at all. Jesse could feel Jaden's breath on his neck, taking away his own. His heart fluttered rapidly, and he could feel the blood pulsating through him.

And that was when Jaden's lips gently brushed past Jesse's cheek.

He tasted of heaven and rain.

The knife, which was originally tightly grasped in Jesse's hand, slid out of his current loose grip and landed on the floor with a loud clunk, ending up near the stack of sandwiches.

Swiftly, Jaden passed Jesse and exited the cave before the perplexed bluenette could even register what happened. And he was gone. The tingle on Jesse's soft cheek was the only evidence of Jaden's presense.

Jesse clamped his hand over his cheek and heaved a content sigh.

* * *

><p>Jaden flipped on the torch as he looked around, trying to locate Duel Academy. Slightly flustered, he pressed the palm of his hand to his forehead. "I'm straight," he informed himself unconvincingly.<p>

_Still pretending to search for the torch, Jaden's hazel eyes watched attentively over Jesse's single move. Face plastered with a look of determination, with his teal hair looking fluffier than ever and eyebrows furrowed together, Jesse seemed like the living form of heaven itself. His hand, which tightly grasped a knife with a small chunk of peanut butter on top, professionally spread the gunk over the bread._ **Delicious**, thought Jaden.

And he wasn't just referring to the peanut butter sandwiches.

Even the mere thought of Jesse made him catch his breath and break into a broad, genuine smile.

"I'm very straight," the brunette stubbornly repeated. "Or am I?" _Keep a calm exterior, Jaden,_ he told himself. _Don't let yourself freak out now, or Jesse's gonna hear your rabid screaming since he's so close to you_. With that in mind, he resisted the impulse to let out a confused, bloodcurdling scream in frustration. "Better continue searching."

Jaden brushed the mop of chestnut hair out of his eyes as his eyes traced over the mountain peaks. "Hmm?" The flattened red cylinder was unmistakable. "Duel Academy."

"Perfect!" Jaden let out a hoot of happiness. "Jesse and I can head back after its stopped raining."

In lighter, happier spirits, Jaden skipped back into the cave. "Jesse, Jesse!" he proclaimed in a singsong voice, "I've found Duel Academy! We can go back once the rain stops!"

"Great," the bluenette replied, a smile spreading all over his face after seeing Jaden this happy. Just seeing the joyful brunette made something flutter in his chest. Sitting on the ground, he gestured to the neat pile of sandwiches. "Hungry?"

Jaden laid down next to him, resting his head in Jesse's lap. "Very."

"Um..." Once again, Jesse blushed, at a loss for words. Hesitantly, he hovered his hand above the brunette. Chocolate brown orbs stared into large emerald gems. After another pause, the bluenette mustered enough courage to stroke Jaden's fluffy hair with his hand. _I'm holding perfection in my own arms_, thought Jesse.

Enigmatic, mystical silence.

After a while, Jaden, breaking the silence, nodded towards the pile of sandwiches. "Jesse, are those even edible?"

"Huh? Of course they are." The sudden question caught the bluenette off-guard. "Why would you say that?"

"Well, you kinda dropped the knife on the floor after I had a random outburst of affection."

"R-r-random outburst?"

"Uh-huh. Wouldn't there be soil and dirt all over the knife?" Jaden asked provocatively.

"But the soil and dirt have a lot of minerals in them." Jesse finally said. "Minerals like nitrogen compounds and stuff, they're, uh... Good for us."

"Yeah, true." The brunette smiled warmly. "Anything Jesse says is right."

Jesse breathed a sigh of relief. Thank Ra Jaden falls asleep in class, thought the bluenette. He let his fingers play on the chestnut-haired boy's cheek, using light, soft strokes.

"Well, aren't cha gonna try them?

"Mhm." Hastily, the bluenette grabbed a sandwich and stuck it in his mouth. He chewed carefully. It wasn't too bad. "It's alright, I guess."

"Oh, really? As in the "I don't think it'll kill anyone" alright? Or as in "alright" on the Jaden Yuki scale?" The brunette questioned teasingly. "Here, let me have a bite of that." Taking the half-eaten sandwich out of Jesse's mouth, he brought it to his own and finished it.

"They're not bad. Not bad at all," Jaden enthused, as he inhaled a few more of the inviting sandwiches.

Jesse smiled. "Well, you asked me to make them so I put in extra effort."

"I forgot. Why did I ask you to make sandwiches for again?" He snuggled deeper in the bluenette's lap, the bluenette's body shaping itself to his.

Jesse blushed, his eyes unreadable. "Tea for two."


	6. Elemental Heroes are Cool

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. If I did, the series would be 1094321709573 episodes long. Or maybe a little more than that.**

**Author's note:**** I have finally recovered from hibernation! Thank you for reviewing/ alerting/ favoriting, it's very encouraging:3 This chappie is a stub, but it's all I have for now . Dealing with school and stuff. So sorry!**

* * *

><p><span>Day 4<span>

"Aniki! Jesse! You two finally came back!" Syrus's relieved scream pierced through the morning air. "We were so worried!"

Hassleberry picked the two boys up and carried them over to the front of the abandoned dorm. "They're back!" he proclaimed to the others.

Chazz, Aster and Atticus looked up from their game of Slap, arms frozen in mid-play. Atticus's hazel eyes lit up as he saw the two's arrival. "Hey, you're back! I was planning to go sear-"

_SLAP!_

"Ow!" the taller brunette whined as he spun to face Aster and Chazz. "What was that for?"

Aster calmly peeled his hand off Atticus's and scooped up the pile of cards. "You played an ace. I slapped the pile first. Sorry man, but these are mine." He shuffled them in his deck, completely oblivious of Chazz and Atticus's glares.

Jaden headed over. "Why don't you all DUEL? This is Duel Academy after all."

"They're all too chicken to team up to go against Chazzy and I in a tag duel," Aster said smugly.

"Seriously?" Jaden's ears perked up. "Y'know what? You better get your game on, cuz you're going down!" He activated his duel disk.

"Uh, Jay, it's not a good idea." Jesse said warily. "Two against one? The odds are against you."

The brunette beamed at him. "It's not two against one! We're a team, right?"

Don't blush, Jesse, he ordered himself. Oh, no. The bluenette felt the familiar liquid rush up to his face. Too late.

Feeling slightly lightheaded, Jesse turned to Jaden. "I'm um, gonna go to the washroom first."

Jaden nodded. "Yeah, just come back soon."

Nodding, Jesse walked away from the Abandoned Dorm, and… SLAM! He whammed his head against a nearby tree. "Ow."

"You don't like Jaden more than a best friend." _SLAM!_

"You like girls."_ SLAM!_

"You're not hoping that Jaden returns or has any special feelings towards you." _SLAM!_

"Stupid!" _SLAM! SLAM! SLAM!_

"Owwwwie." The bluenette winced at the pain. He tenderly rubbed his forehead. "Well, that didn't clear my head up much," he sighed as he shook his head. "May as well head back."

"You're not going anywhere." A familiar voice came from behind him. Damp hands clamped the defenseless bluenette's nose and mouth.

Jesse used all of his energy in trying to break free. "Who are you?" Came his muffled voice behind the hand. "What are you doing?"

"Shut up, Anderson," snarled an irritated voice.

The aquamarine eyes widened in shock and recognition. "A-a-adrian?"

"Yes, you fool." Adrian snarled.

"Let me go." The bluenette slurred as he felt the energy in his body rapidly depleting.

No response.

As a final defense tactic, Jesse ferociously bit Adrian's hand. Ew, gross. The teal-haired boy's nose scrunched up in disgust as he tasted part of Adrian's hand.

"Ugh!" Adrian's grip loosened. Jesse wriggled out of his hold.

"Don't even think of it!" The bluenette felt a sharp blow to his backbone and toppled to the ground. Adrian's strong hands were once again over his nose and mouth.

"Be quiet and stop struggling and no one gets hurt."

"It's not like I can do anything." Jesse mumbled as his eyes closed. He dropped in a faint. And he lay there unconscious, as Adrian casually carried him off far away from Duel Academy and the ones he knew.

* * *

><p>His gaze was met by a pair of ominous grey eyes.<p>

Jesse struggled to keep his eyes open – his eyelids felt like they were made of marble. "Where am I?" His words clumsily stumbled over each other, and came out of his lips as a lazy slur.

"Interrogation," came Adrian's voice.

The bluenette's emerald eyes swiftly scanned his surroundings, noting the sparkling gem on one of the walls. "Whus dis?"

Smirking, Adrian reached out and tweaked Jesse's nose. "Nothing you should know about, Anderson."

He was too exhausted to cut back with a witty remark, so he fumbled out the simplest word he could think of. "Liar," Jesse muttered as he plunged back into darkness.

* * *

><p><em>Falling.<em>

Jesse felt like he was spiraling down a dark abyss, with a sinking feeling in his gut that never failed to constantly remind him that he would probably never reach the bottom.

Adrian's piercing voice echoed throughout the abyss, his words magnifying themselves into screams as they pounded mercilessly into his brain. "You'll never succeed, Jesse."

"Succeed in what?" he cried out, terrified.

There was another scream. A severe one. Instinctively, the bluenette clamped his hands over his ears and huddled up, rocking himself back and forth in horror.

"I just want this over with," he whispered, crystalline tears brimming in his soft teal eyes. "Your voice is eating at me."

But the voices didn't stop, and Jesse took each shriek as though being stabbed in the gut with a knife.

Adrian's taunting voice emerged again. "And nobody will know you've left."

"Lies!" Jesse screamed back defiantly. "I know my friends, they'll note my disappearance and come for me!"

"Believe what you want."

* * *

><p>"Man, Jesse's taking so long," whined Jaden.<p>

Chazz knitted his fingers together. "It sucks. I bet he got lost in the school campus. Now Jaden's too scared to go against the two of us."

Jaden's eyes shot up. He knew that this was a challenge he couldn't resist. "Yeah, Spazz? Well you better get your duel disks ready, it's time to get your game on!"

"Wait." Everyone turned to the origin of the voice, Aster. "What if he's gone missing?"

Nobody was speaking. All eyes were wide-open, staring up at Aster in shock.

Atticus's voice broke the silence. "Whoa there," he said cheerfully, giving the poor silverette a hearty slap on the back, "I'm sure he's perfectly fine."

* * *

><p>"They'll find me!" Jesse screamed as he jerked up. "They will, they will, they will!"<p>

* * *

><p>In the evening, Adrian gazed up at Duel Academy's night sky. "Why hasn't Jaden come to find Jesse yet?" he pondered.<p>

Speaking of said bluenette, he was still knocked unconscious. Adrian eyed the mobile phone sticking out of the pocket of Jesse's black pants._ Hmm._

Quick as a flash, the redhead snitched the phone from the bluenette's pocket. He turned the monitor on.

**Welcome Master**, read the screen, **please enter five letter password**.

**G-E-C-K-O**, typed Adrian.

The phone buzzed. Wrong password.

**D-E-A-T-H**.

**P-O-I-S-O-N**… Then he realized it was longer than five letters.

**S-N-A-K-E**.

Adrian bit down on his lip in frustration. It was just a five letter password, how hard could it be? The redhead's brow furrowed. _What would I set as the password if I was Anderson?_

Then it hit him. Suppressing a scowl, Adrian punched in the five letters. His frown was evident as the screen flashed its approval. It had worked.

He had typed in "J-A-D-E-N".

* * *

><p>After cracking into the system, Adrian began scrolling through Jesse's message inbox. There was nothing worth investigating into, just messages between his family and friends. The redhead scanned through the address book and located Jaden's name, then opening up a chat-box between the two.<p>

**CrystalCrusade – Hi Jaden.**

**ElimintulHirozRKool – jes! wher did u go? w8d all day 4 u!**

**CrystalCrusade – Got something to tell you. Mind meeting somewhere?**

**ElimintulHirozRKool – no prob dood. wher?**

**CrystalCrusade – The Abandoned Dorm, preferably. I'll pick you up there.**

**ElimintulHirozRKool – You don't sound like Jesse.**

**CrystalCrusade – Why's that?**

Adrian was about to type more but Jaden's reply flashed on the screen.

**ElimintulHirozRKool – For once, Jesse's vocabulary is mediocre, unlike yours. Besides, he doesn't fancy typing in full sentences and typing errors are usually littered throughout his messages. And he uses that annoying chat-speak. The way you type is different. I doubt you are really Jesse.**

**CrystalCrusade – When you did you type like that?**

**ElimintulHirozRKool – I'm a fast typist.**

Adrian blinked.

**ElimintulHirozRKool – no wai, dat wuz aster.**

That explained a lot.

"Ruby…" Jesse's soft voice rang from the other side of the room. He was stirring.

Adrian hastily jabbed in a sentence and pressed send.

**CrystalCrusade – Yeah, well, gotta go. Need to…**

What would Jesse do? THINK!

**CrystalCrusade – …rearrange my deck.**

Yes, that sounded about right.

Adrian quickly switched the phone back to standby mode and shoved it into his pocket.

* * *

><p>Mustering up all of his strength, Jesse groggily sat up – but failed. Slightly alarmed, he glanced downwards.<p>

He was strapped to the wall.

"Took you long enough to wake up," came Adrian's voice. Jesse's eyebrows shot up. Strangely, it wasn't Adrian's usual deep voice, on the contrary, it was clipped and shrill.

"Well, I'd 'ppreciate it if you could tell me what's going on over here," mumbled the bluenette.

This went ignored.

Adrian scowled. "Just wait for Viper, he'll be here soon."

The bluenette shook his head from side to side, causing stray strands of his teal hair to messily tumble down his forehead. "We've been classmates for what, less than a week and you're doing this to me?" Jesse heaved a sigh. "Sorry to say this, Mr. Gecko, but you're one crazed up fruit loop."

At that, a crash came from the outside.

The redhead grinned smufly. "And that would be Vi-"

"JES!"

"-Jaden Yuki arriving at the most unfortunate of times," he muttered irritably.

As if on cue, Jaden stormed into the cave, with flanked by Aster. "JESSE!"

Jesse blinked in surprise. "Jay! How did you find me? How did you know I was trapped in here, of all places?"

The brunette shrugged. "I didn't know. Aster was chatting with you on mu mobile, and he said you were typing differently from the way you usually did."

Aster's oceanblue eyes were wide as he surveyed the room. "Jaden was certain that your account was an imposter's after the last line was sent out."

"Oh crumbs!" Jesse realized his phone was missing. "What did I say?"

A frown crept up Jaden's face. "You said you had to go_ rearrange your deck_."

"And what's wrong with that?" interrupted Adrian.

Knowingly, Jaden rolled his eyes. "Jesse would never rearrange his deck on his own."

Still perplexed, Jesse pressed on. "Then how'd you find me?"

"Yeah," added Adrian, "I thought this place was secluded enough."

With a quick flourish, Aster produced his beeping GeXus One phone. "Easy. GPS."

Adrian made a mental note that he would turn phones off from that moment onwards.

* * *

><p>The redhead's mind launched itself into panic mode as he watched Jaden and Aster begin to free Jesse. He could easily knock Jaden out, yes, but Aster would prove to be trouble. And where the heck was Viper?<p>

_Okay, okay. Keep calm_, he reminded himself. _Distract them_.

"Hey guys," he said nonchalantly, "Let's talk about an important topic."

Aster's eyes flashed dangerously. "Ignore him, it's a distraction," he told Jaden.

Unfortunately, Jaden decided to respond. "Like what, Adrian?"

"I don't know. The meaning of life? Parallel universes? Duel Monsters? Something serious." He paused. "Anything serious."

"ATTI-ATTI-ATTI-ATTICUSSSSSSSS!" screeched Atticus as he charged into the cave in yet another Hawaiian shirt, donning a sombrero while juggling bagels.

"Why are you here, Rhodes?" snapped Adrian.

Aster gave the redhead an infuriating smile as he gracefully tosses his phone into the air. "Distraction."

Adrian groaned, uttering quite a few words that were too inappropriate to be put in this fanfic.

"What's popping, homeslice?" piped Atticus cheerfully as he hurled a bagel at Adrian's head.

"Watch it, surfer dude," Adrian hissed through clenched teeth, grimacing as the bagel bounced off himself, "I spent three hours gelling and styling my hair. You better not ruin it."

Atticus flipped his chestnut hair over his shoulders. "But I still have more fangirls that you," he crooned.

"Damn."


End file.
